


Willing to Wait

by FallLover



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: 900's name is Nathan, Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background HankCon - Freeform, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 Friendship, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Domestic Violence, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Elijah Kamski Being an Asshole, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Injury, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Physical Abuse, Pining, lawyer AU, neither Gavin nor 900 are abusive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 05:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23206273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallLover/pseuds/FallLover
Summary: Nathan Stern is a defense attorney. Gavin Reed is a paralegal working for his brother, Elijah Kamski, a local prosecutor. Nathan and Gavin happen to frequent the same cafe.Gavin's got a problem. Nathan wants to help.
Relationships: Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 14
Kudos: 134





	Willing to Wait

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this G9 villain AU by](https://twitter.com/Tic_ally/status/1223735343024832512) [Tically](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tically/pseuds/Tically)

Today was a day where Nathan Stern, a local defense attorney, had no extra patience or effort to spare for people who weren’t work-related. He was done. He was focused. He wanted his midday mint-chocolate chip milkshake and that was all. He didn’t meet anyone’s eye. He didn’t chat with random strangers in the line. He waited his turn, quietly, repeating his usual order in his head in case he somehow managed to screw it up while staring in the vague general direction of the counter. It wasn’t too crowded for a Tuesday afternoon, so there was that. He reminded himself to take the dry-cleaning in tomorrow.

And then Nathan saw Gavin Reed, a paralegal, turn away from the receiving window and go sit at a table in a corner. Gavin wore a cheap suit that likely didn’t turn heads, his hair was a bit disheveled, and he slouched ever so slightly. Before Gavin turned away to find a table, Nathan saw the black eye. It looked especially bad today.

Nathan had seen Gavin at this cafe countless times. Their offices were near each other, so it made sense they’d potentially frequent the same watering holes. Gavin was certainly not the only one of Elijah Kamski’s staff that Nathan noticed around the area. But only recently had Nathan started noticing the parade of injuries. It was almost like one healed and another took its place.

Nathan wondered why the brother of one of the biggest prosecutors in the city hadn’t had whoever was doing _that_ to him brought in yet.

Nathan noted where Gavin sat – it was a small café, it wasn’t like it was actually _stalking_ , and shortly got his drink and thought about how much he actually wanted to devote to this.

“You focus too much on work,” Connor had said to him the last time they’d been together, after Hank had left to take Sumo for a walk and Connor had smiled after him, thoroughly in love and happy, and Nathan had answered an email because he didn’t want to think about the tinge of jealousy in his brain when he saw that look on his brother’s face. “Live a little.”

Now Nathan sighed and walked over to Gavin’s table. Gavin blinked and slowly looked up at him. Up close, the black eye was _much_ worse. Gavin’s unhurt eye widened in shock.

“This seat taken?” Nathan asked.

“Uh... n... no?”

“Cool.” Nathan sat at the extra chair and set his drink down, fussing with the holder to make sure it was perfect.

Gavin stared. “Can… Can I help you Mr. Stern?”

“Not really. I just figured… I see you often enough at Elijah’s when I go over for meetings, but we never talk. Figured I could get to know you.”

“…No offense, sir, but that’s kind of creepy.”

“…Yeah,” Nathan replied. “I’ve been told I’m like that. Lack of practice socializing and a ton of other things, I guess.”

Gavin snorted and took a sip from his drink. Then he put the cup down and asked, “Why? I’m just a clerk, it’s not like I’m going to be giving you anything on—”

“I’m not trying to sneak into Elijah’s office,” Nathan said. “But if we have to see each other all the time anyway, maybe it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to not just be ‘the people who work at opposing offices’?”

Gavin was still suspicious.

“I mean I sort of want to make sure that you don’t just shred my papers before handing them to Elijah.”

Gavin’s eyes widened in alarm and Nathan put a hand up.

“I’m kidding.”

“Oh.” Gavin coughed to hide his flush, then snorted. “Yeah. Well I don’t do that.”

Nathan smiled slightly. “I didn’t really think you did. Bad joke, sorry. But… I was actually wondering about the black eye.”

Gavin froze. Then sighed. “Just… nothing. An accident. If you’re going to ask more, you can fuck off.”

“I won’t. But… if you want to talk, about anything, or something else, I’m free.” He indicated his drink. “I’ve got time.”

Gavin considered him again, snorted, and said, “I guess… Don’t think I’m gonna be that interesting, though.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself. What are you drinking?”

* * *

It started there, small. They started unofficially meeting at the café, sitting together during their breaks. Chatting – generally – about work. About the weather. About some of the shows that were on lately, that they’d both been watching. Movies. Books that Nathan kept wanting to find the time to read. A new video game Gavin had been into and seemed oddly embarrassed talking about, until Nathan said he’d played it a while back and then Gavin’s eyes had lit up and it was the first time Gavin had truly seemed excited about something. The only other times were when Nathan talked about getting a cat, which made Gavin look a bit sheepish and hopeful.

Nathan brought up Connor’s engagement, which was growingly taking up more of his life.

But never Elijah.

Nathan had to go to Elijah’s office for another meeting – the prick always insisted on his office building for meetings. Elijah argued that it just had more room than Nathan’s ‘dank little dungeon of an office’, as Elijah had at one time referred to it. Elijah’s was large and opulent, clean and new looking, with pretty secretaries and stylish lobbies, and even a café of its own.

Nathan wondered why Gavin didn’t just eat there. It was closer and surely he’d get some kind of discount for being the boss’ brother.

The first time Nathan spotted Gavin in an elevator after they’d started their informal meetups, Gavin was briefly startled, then looked away, focusing on his phone, and quickly getting out of the elevator once they got to his floor.

Later, Nathan got a text from him:

 _Gavin_ : Sorry, I had to go somewhere.

 _Nathan_ : It’s all right. I understand.

There was a moment where the “…” typing bubble was up. Nathan waited. But it went away, and no new message appeared.

* * *

The injuries didn’t stop. Cuts, bruises, and one time Gavin badly hiding a limp. Nathan never pried, waiting for Gavin to talk about it. He’d tried again, after that first unsuccessful attempt, and Gavin had left, saying he had something to do back at the office. Nathan had sent his usual drink order to his office in apology, which had grudgingly made Gavin return. Maybe it was a bit forward, too, but Nathan liked Gavin, and didn’t want to damage what friendship they had.

Nathan walked into his office one day and paused by his secretary’s desk. North was a paralegal who’d been with him for some years.

“North, do you know Gavin Reed? He’s Kamski’s brother.”

She looked up at him with a frown. “Yeah, well… I mean sort of. No one really _knows_ him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… Elijah’s staff are pretty chatty. Always hanging out at happy hour and all that, happy to talk about their… _wonderful_ … boss. But not Gavin.”

Nathan tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

“And maybe a few people have commented about him. Rumor is he gets in fights all the time. That’s why he comes in banged up so much. No one knows with who. And Mr. Kamski, being a _saint_ , of course, just tries to keep him from getting into too much trouble. Reform him, somehow, I guess. Don’t know how well that’s worked out.” She shrugged.

“I see. Thank you, North.”

“Why are you so curious?”

“He goes to the same café I do.”

“You know…” North played with her flower pen for a moment and raised one eyebrow at him. “Simon said he saw you two sitting together there the other day.”

“He… he did?”

North smiled. “You dating the enemy, boss?”

Nathan snorted. “Hardly. And he’s hardly the “enemy”, North, you know I hate that kind of talk.”

North shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Nathan went into his office and sat his desk, thinking about the man he’d come to know. Gavin didn’t seem like the kind of guy who was a fighter. But he could just be good at hiding it. And the injuries… Someone was definitely hitting him.

Nathan just had no way to know if Gavin was hitting back.

* * *

Gavin didn’t come to the café the next day. Nathan texted him after waiting a while. He received the reply:

 _Gavin_ : Sick today, sorry. Staying home.

Nathan frowned. Gavin hadn’t seemed ill the previous day. Outside of the healing bruise on his cheek, he seemed okay for once.

 _Nathan_ : I can stop by and bring you some things if you’d like.

 _Gavin_ : It’s okay. Don’t want you to catch it.

 _Nathan_ : If you had it yesterday and it’s contagious, it’s probable that I already have it anyway.

Nathan sipped his drink and waited, watching the dots on his phone. It was nearly the end of his break before he finally got a response:

 _Gavin_ : Okay

* * *

Gavin’s apartment was in a poorer part of town. Still too expensive, according to many of Nathan’s clients, with whom he heartily agreed, but that was the lovely something of living in a city. Nathan walked up the steps to the third floor, holding his bag of canned soup, crackers, Gatorade, and some candy.

He’d texted Connor desperately before leaving work, while trying to keep it _cool_.

 _Nathan_ : I have to go to a friend’s place to give them some stuff because they’re sick. What should I bring?

 _Connor_ : Who is this? Why haven’t I met them?

 _Nathan_ : It’s for work.

Connor, of course, had simply called him.

“You don’t bring treats to people you _work_ with,” Connor said, coyly. “You’re hiding something.”

“You’re reading too deeply into this.”

“And you’re defensive! Are you dating? Why didn’t you tell me you were dating!”

“Probably because you’d act like _this_.”

“Aw, Ni, I’m sorry… I’m happy for you.”

“It’s _not_ dating.”

“Is that… Is it a one-sided thing?”

Nathan tapped the pen on his desk, then put it down. Connor could _hear_ it. “It’s not… It’s nothing. He’s a… coworker. Sort of. Works for another attorney. He… It doesn’t matter. What should I bring him?”

Now, Nathan knocked on Gavin’s door.

After a long time, during which Nathan considered knocking again, he heard the clicks of the door locks, and the door pulled open. Nathan nearly dropped the bag.

Gavin stood there, holding the door. His face was covered in bruising, and he had a new black eye. And he wore a cast on his right arm.

“H-hey,” Gavin said, quietly.

“What—What in the…? What happened? Who did this?”

“You should come inside,” Gavin said, quietly, backing away a bit.

Nathan walked in and Gavin quickly closed the door and locked it. Nathan put the bag down on a counter. He was surprised to see the place was, well… spotless. Not filled with much, true. An older TV. A couch, a coffee table. Fridge, microwave, stove. There was a certificate hanging on one wall that Nathan couldn’t read.

“You want something to drink?” Gavin asked, again, so quietly.

“Gavin, what happened to you?” Nathan demanded, turning to him.

Gavin sighed and walked past him to sit on the tired couch. “It’s… It was my fault. Just… clumsy.”

“What? You fell down the stairs? Bumped into a wall? Threw yourself at someone’s knuckles?”

Gavin swallowed and looked away.

Nathan grimaced and carefully sat down nearby, but not _too_ close. “Why haven’t you told Elijah about this? Surely he’d—”

When Gavin grimaced and looked down at his hands, Nathan blinked, connecting the dots. “It’s Elijah.”

Gavin looked up at him, suddenly afraid. “No, it’s—he’s…”

Nathan waited.

Gavin swallowed a bit and seemed to sink more in the couch.

“How long?” Nathan asked, gently.

Gavin swallowed and looked away. “…It’s only when he’s frustrated at work. Or… or I fuck up.”

“I see you walk in all the time with bruises. Does he wait for the old ones to mostly heal before he starts in again?”

“You don’t… You don’t understand…”

It took a while for Gavin to explain. Haltingly. Sometimes getting up to pace before sitting back down. He didn’t look directly at Nathan for most of it.

Elijah was very busy. Very successful, but success meant busy. He’d been nothing but supportive when Gavin struggled with his degree. Even kindly offered to give Gavin a starting job. Helped pay for the apartment. Really, Gavin was very grateful. He knew it was embarrassing to have a brother who wasn’t as successful or smart you were, but Elijah never judged him for it. Much. And really, was it Gavin’s place to say something when he overheard Elijah venting about his stupid brother? Everyone had to let off steam somehow.

And Gavin _wasn’t_ great at the job. He forgot things. Did things wrong. He was slow. Elijah was reasonably annoyed – and reasonably _embarrassed_ at the fallout.

“That doesn’t give him the right to hit you,” Nathan said.

Gavin swallowed.

He’d forgotten a date. A relatively important date. Elijah had to go grovel in front of a judge as a result. He _hated_ doing that. So afterward he’d ordered Gavin over to his place, yelled, and… things had escalated. He’d driven Gavin to the hospital when he realized he’d broken something.

“I can’t go in looking like this. I can’t work as well as I can with a broken arm and it looks… bad. Usually Elijah can say I got into fights or something, but… This is too much.”

“And you just let him lie about you being a fighter? That you like picking fights or something?”

Gavin shrugged. “It’s not… I mean…”

Nathan waited.

Gavin picked at his pants.

Nathan sighed and grabbed a chip from the bag he’d pulled out. Gavin hadn’t touched them much, although he’d already thanked Nathan and said he didn’t have to do all this. “Doesn’t it feel…. isolating?”

“I mean… People just don’t tend to like me anyway…”

“You’ve said that before but honestly, outside maybe some introverted tendencies, I’m not seeing anything that supports that.”

Gavin snorted. “You just don’t know me that well.”

“Well maybe I know you more than you think and I like what I know of you.”

Gavin looked at him in surprise.

Now Nathan fidgeted with his pants. “I mean I thought we were friends. But maybe… I’m jumping the gun here?”

“No, I… I think we’re friends.”

Nathan smiled at him. “Then we’re friends.”

Gavin’s smile was warm and made Nathan’s heart speed up. So instead Nathan said, “You know I can’t just let this keep going on.”

Gavin sighed. “I handle it just fine.”

“Even ignoring the fact that clearly you don’t, given your state of injury and how one of these days he likely won’t notice that he’s _broken_ something before he stops, as an attorney I can’t just ignore it. I have to report it to the bar association, at the least.”

Gavin looked up at him in alarm. “No, you… you can’t! He’ll… He’ll--!”

“I can protect you,” Nathan said. “Or we can get protection. I promise.”

“That’s not… I’m not worried about that.” Gavin swallowed. “His work is his life. He can’t lose it.”

“Then he shouldn’t be doing it while beating you up,” Nathan said.

“I won’t testify,” Gavin said. “Against him. You won’t get a statement from me.”

Nathan frowned. “Gavin…”

“I don’t care if it’s… if you think it’s wrong or stupid. I won’t.”

“Do you think he doesn’t do this to anyone else?”

“I know he doesn’t.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

Gavin laughed, darkly. “He doesn’t… He doesn’t _hate_ anyone else this much to do this to them.”

Nathan sagged a bit with that. “Gavin…”

“I know you think I’m dumb and naïve and—”

“I don’t think you’re any of those things. You’re my friend and I want you to be happy and healthy. If you don’t want to testify or make a statement, I won’t ask again.”

“That won’t stop you, though.”

“I could lose my license if I don’t. And I would deserve it. Someone like that, in his position? That’s dangerous in a lot of ways.”

Gavin sniffed and looked away. “I shouldn’t have asked you over.”

“…I can leave if you want me to.”

Gavin cringed.

“…But you don’t want me to, do you?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Why don’t we watch something? That way we don’t have to talk and I can keep you company. I have the afternoon off, so there’s no time limit to my staying.”

Gavin sighed and shrugged. “Yeah. Sure.”

Nathan turned on the TV to browse for a bit, since Gavin didn’t seem interested in taking the remote.

“…Thanks,” Gavin finally said.

Nathan looked at him.

Gavin glanced at him and then away. “For coming over. For the stuff. For… For listening.”

“I’m always happy to listen, Gavin,” Nathan said. “Thank you for telling me.”

Gavin snorted. “It’s only cause you’re not entirely unattractive. That’s all.”

“Not entirely, huh? So on a scale of the barista you were mooning over two weeks ago and the Chris Hemsworth-look-a-like paralegal from that firm two doors down from your work, where does that put me?”

Gavin laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Well if you’re telling all the 'not entirely unattractive' men in your life these things, I think I should know.”

Gavin shook his head as Nathan stopped on something not entirely terrible to watch.

Nathan tried not to think about how it warmed him that Gavin thought of how attractive he looked.

* * *

“Elijah.”

“Nathan.”

Nathan stared the other man down. Elijah was clearly busy with things and ready to move on to the next meeting. He _was_ always busy with something, it seemed. Whether it was cases or meetings or trainings or any number of others he had going on. He was certainly dedicated to the work. And his record was pretty solid.

“It’s come to my attention,” Nathan said, still sitting straight in the chair Elijah had offered him, “that you regularly physically assault Gavin Reed. And you’ve been doing this for some time.”

Elijah blinked. And blinked again.

Nathan waited.

Elijah didn’t say anything. Just sat there, staring at him.

“I’m going to report this to the bar.”

“Why are you telling me first?”

“I don’t want to call it a courtesy, but I guess I have to. More to the point, you don’t go near Gavin after this. Ever again. Or I go to the press.”

The corner of Elijah’s lips twitched slightly, but he still didn’t change his expression. “So he’s not going to the cops.”

Nathan didn’t reply to that.

“And neither are you, which means all you’ve got is observation and what he’s told you.”

“You want to make a confession?”

“You planning to dictate me something to say? No. Go do whatever it is you were planning to do. I have meetings to get to.”

“You stay away from him, Elijah. I’ll know.”

“Good for you. Now get out.”

* * *

_One Month Later_

Nathan sat in his office and looked over his casework and sighed. He was not in the mood to make more phone calls. The day was even more stressful than usual.

His cellphone rang. He ordinarily didn’t answer it during work hours, but well…

“Hello?”

“Hey uh… you wanna… go on a date sometime? For something other than just drinks?”

Nathan smiled. “Awfully forward of you.”

“Yeah, well. You’re not entirely unattractive and you brought me food and you’re pretty nice most of the time, so I figure I might as well shoot my shot or whatever.”

“Are you sure you want to go out with me? I know the bar’s still deciding what to do with Elijah.” It had been an eventful month, to say the least. Gavin was safe with one of Nathan’s old friends, and apparently they got on like a house on fire or something, Tina was a law unto herself, even when in front of a judge.

“I don’t know, you sure you should be dating a maybe sort of client?”

“You trying to destroy my license?”

Gavin laughed. “Naw, I… I mean if you think it’s a bad idea…?”

“You’re not a client. And everything’s out of my hands at this point. Plus, you’re barely even attached to anything since… Well, it doesn’t matter.” Gavin was working for another firm, doing the same job, but with no connection to Elijah.

“Oh my god, Nathan,” Tina’s voice came over the phone. “Answer his fucking question.”

“Tina!” Gavin yelled.

Nathan smiled.

“You know how many times he refused to just ask? He put up a lot of work for this and you’re doing all this stupid—!”

“Tina, go _away_!”

“I’ll go on a date with you,” Nathan said, grinning. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere,” Gavin replied. “As long as it’s with you.”

Nathan flushed at that.

“I mean… you know what I mean!” Gavin’s voice was slightly higher pitch this time.

Nathan chuckled. “Yeah I… Yeah. Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah. Sure. Cool.”

"I'll pick you up. 6 okay?"

"Yeah."

“I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Well. Bye, then.”

“Goodbye.”

Nathan waited until Gavin hung up and then looked at his phone, smiled, and went back to work.


End file.
